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A Necessary Evil: A Look at The OTAs - Hotelier Magazine - 0 views

www.hoteliermagazine.com/ssary-evil-online-travel-agent
shared by jmore044 on 16 Sep 17 - No Cached
  • So, what’s the issue? For one, the whopping commissions the massive web-based entities take, routinely in the 20- to 30-per-cent range
  • Hotels won’t give them any parameters at all, he points out, and a different pricing model will have to emerge. “They won’t necessarily take commission or such, but they might charge you just to drive people to your site. It’s a scary idea.
  • The net result, says Estis Green, whose company conducts hotel data analytics, is that hotels can’t really compete on price alone anymore. It’s why, in today’s new reality, competition is a game played with other factors, including value-added services, rates based on multiple nights’ occupancy or other inspired — even desperate — offers devised by hoteliers.
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  • The ultimate trick to navigating the new landscape is for hoteliers to gain a better understanding of their customers, and to apply that knowledge in a way that’s mindful of the distribution channels that deliver them.
  • Consider also the slew of limitations OTAs impose on their partner hotels regarding details such as the cutoff point at which unsold inventory is restored to the property for its own sales efforts. And their very presence irks a lot of hoteliers, who grumble that they’ve lost control of their own assets, a reality made even more bitter because they invited the snakes into their own meadow. “In my humble opinion,” sighs Jeff Froehlich, director of Sales and Marketing at Vancouver’s Shangri-La Hotel, “Hotels created the monsters that are OTAs.”
  • Certainly OTAs are a high-cost channel, but every channel has fees, and the potential in any market is different based on those channels. An independent hotel on the beach is probably using an OTA more than a branded five-star urban hotel that has its own loyalty program.
  • The optimal channel is one that leads directly to the hotel itself. The dollars spent by guests who book through a hotel’s website are pocketed by the hotel. To that end, operators might improve the look of their websites, include better content, post quality photos and generally ensure the site is superior to the competition. Additionally, they might spend some time contemplating value-adds: including free breakfasts, complimentary room upgrades and late check-ins. Loyalty programs also serve as powerful anchors for an increasing number of hotels. When someone buys a room through an OTA, he doesn’t enjoy the benefit of added points to his standings with the property.
  • Online travel agents are evil, Froehlich says, but necessary. “There’s no point trying to put the monster back in the box.” And no one is disputing OTAs’ right to real estate in the hotel universe. The notion that OTAs have grown too big for their britches notwithstanding, says Le Saint Sulpice’s Di Re, doesn’t mean hoteliers are talking divorce. “We have no choice,” he shrugs, conceding the fact the online agents have massive marketing power. “You’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t.”
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HNN - Revenue and cost strategies for boutiques, independents - 0 views

www.hotelnewsnow.com/...ies-for-boutiques-independents hospitality business GDS hotel revenue booking technology travel
shared by da7327 on 16 Sep 17 - No Cached
  • Without the power of a brand sales team and the tools that they provide, your independent hotel’s sales efforts need to ensure that they are utilizing the right channels to effectively capture transient demand.
  • While global distribution system business is mostly pay-to-play, it provides exceptional return on investment in the right markets.
  • Direct bookings are the most cost-effective business for boutique hotels, so it is always the goal to drive business to our own booking channels. Identifying what percent of business you need from group sales, GDS and online travel agencies is paramount to a successful revenue strategy.
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  • Identify your hotel’s ideal rooms-to-space ratio to optimize profits on any piece of group business and to ensure your revenue manager and sales team are on the same page.
  • Your social media platforms create a stage for your hotel’s voice to be heard, so their importance is far greater than they would be for a branded hotel. Develop creative packages and collateral that capture the guest experience to set yourself apart from a franchised hotel.
  • A destination is a high contributing factor in the decision-making process, so your sales team should highlight all of the attractive aspects of the local area.
  • If your hotel has an in-house food-and-beverage department, then capitalizing on these events is even more critical to achieving financial success and should be incorporated into your revenue strategies
  • Your website should be constantly updated with local happenings, events and hangouts to keep up with search engine optimization (SEO) changes that stress local focused searches
  • da7327 on 16 Sep 17
     
    The article introduces how to manage revenue and cost strategies for boutiques and independent hotels. Compared to big brand hotels, boutique and independent hotels have less brand power, and less power of a brand sales team. So, they need to find the right tools to adapt and fit their own property. Firstly, GDS is a good source to gain an exceptional return on investment, but it costs a lot to adopt for small or mid-sized hotels. Thus, direct bookings can be the most cost-effective way for them to choose. By identifying the sales from group and OTA, revenue can increase and optimize profits. Hotel can hold events as one of the ways to increase revenue. Mixing F&B and event can achieve financial success. Also, independent hotels can use destination marketing to emphasize tourist spots and host more business trip. Lastly, the importance of social media and website is very high for boutiques and independents. As they constantly update their site, search engine optimization should be kept up with. Considering GDS system in the context of small property, they are not afforded to adopt the system though it has a lot of benefits to increase revenue. Thus, they should find the right tool to adapt while considering the budget or common booking tool utilized.
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Cloud vs On-Premise PMS for hotels: Which is Preferable? - 0 views

www.ezeeabsolute.com/...cloud-vs-on-premise-hotel-pms cloud pms hotels
shared by vickychapas2021 on 21 Mar 21 - No Cached
  • Reason being, the desktop-based system contains data in i
  • Installing it in the new terminal or PC will cost you extra.
  • All it requires is a browser and a favorable internet connection
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  • not dependent on an internet connection.
  • You need to buy a license for the individual machine
  • All the updates happen without hampering your ongoing operations.
  • 0 downtime.
  • Certainly, updating all the systems takes up a lot of your time and effort.
  • You have to install firewalls and anti-virus program
  • All these security measures make cloud systems a safer option than on-premise systems.
  • Not everyone can access the desktop hotel system
  • Similarly, cloud-based software has fail-safes. 
  • 92% of hoteliers have already shifted to cloud infrastructure
  • cost a mid-sized hotel $10,000 to $20,000 or more for the software license. 
  • one-time setup and training fee as well (Approximately $500). 
  • . It can be easily integrated with OTAs
  • It involves a lot of manual technical work and extra hardware.
  • cloud software your data is safer than the old desktop system.
  • Reason being, the desktop-based system contains data in i
  • ktop-b
  • This saves a lot of your money.
  • (costing around $5 to $10 per room).
  • you lose connection, then the file allows you to keep writing. 
  • cloud systems create more revenue opportunities
  • vickychapas2021 on 21 Mar 21
     
    This article talks about the pros and cons of cloud PMS systems. It also goes over some myths that we think about such as it is easy to breach. There are more pros than cons for Cloud PMS systems than one would think. Cloud PMS systems are overall a better option for any property.
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How your room-access bracelet might become a tracking device - 0 views

thepointsguy.com/...travel-wearable-devices bracelet tracking device technology business travel tech hospitality
shared by danakissane01 on 31 Mar 21 - No Cached
  • Since 2013, the travel industry has been replacing easy-to-lose room cards and cumbersome, old-fashioned keys with room-access wristbands.
  • These wearable room keys can be worn in the shower, pool and ocean, and won’t get lost at the bottom of your bag or dropped on the ground. Some can even be connected to your hotel account and your credit cards, so you can seamlessly make purchases during your trip. But because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the uses for these bracelets and wristbands have evolved. Some are now capable of tracking your whereabouts.
  • Room-access bracelets, which function with a radio frequency identification (RFID) chip, first made a splash in the tourism sector when Disney’s MagicBand appeared at the Florida theme parks in 2013. Taking the place of a visitor’s admittance ticket and FastPasses, MagicBands also allow parkgoers to make on-property purchases and enable keyless entry for resort guests.
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  • Wearables debuted on the open seas in 2014 when Royal Caribbean launched its Wow Bands. Three years later, Princess Cruises debuted its Ocean Medallion technology. This wireless gadget can be worn as a bracelet or discreet pendant necklace, and it enables contactless boarding, keyless stateroom entry and onboard payments for everything from drinks to purchases in shipboard shops.
  • Now, instead of just making it possible to keep an eye on your kids while they’re having fun at a watery splash zone, these devices are now capable of keeping tabs on travelers who are quarantined due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. As part of Kauai’s so-called “enhanced movement quarantine,” six resorts on the Hawaiian island use a mobile app paired with a wearable surveillance device to ensure guests comply with a mandatory 72-hour quarantine upon arrival. Some properties provide the bracelets for free, while others charge guests up to $100.
  • The British Virgin Islands also mandate that guests wear tracking bracelets. Arriving passengers, including residents and citizens, must take a COVID-19 test at the airport and use a contact-tracing system on their phones linked to a government-issued wristband during a four-day quarantine before being tested again. The two required tests, the mobile contact tracing app and monitoring bracelet are provided at the visitor’s expense, costing approximately $175.
  • There are also environmental concerns. Most properties don’t reuse the bracelets. Chapur, of Le Blanc, said their beachfront resort uses plastic-free vinyl wristbands, but they still generate more waste than a keycard, which can be reprogrammed.
  • With more travel providers (and entire nations) turning to wearable technology in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19 amongst travelers, we’ll likely see new innovations in the wearable space. A single device could become your room key card, a quarantine monitor, theme park pass and mobile payment device. It could even use biotechnology to monitor your health, like the buttons deployed by the Cayman Islands to help travelers enjoy a reduced quarantine period. But hopefully, these wearable devices will become increasingly comfortable, eco-friendly and more discreet, so guests and travelers aren’t easily singled out — and aren’t deterred from using the technology in future applications.
  • danakissane01 on 31 Mar 21
     
    This article explains how devices like Disney's MagicBand technology might become a tracking device during your vacation.
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Now Is the Time to Launch Direct Booking for Groups | Hotel Management - 0 views

www.hotelmanagement.net/...unch-direct-booking-for-groups booking management launch technology hospitality tech solution hotel business
shared by dulvanesei on 07 Mar 21 - No Cached
  • Hotels need better technology
  • The hospitality industry, for example, has seen the rise of contactless payment systems and other mobile self-service options for guests.
  • New technology has emerged that will offer hoteliers and planners the ability to book meetings and events online, a long-awaited development.
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  • Hotels need better technology
  • otels n
  • Even before the pandemic, the hospitality industry had been seeking ways to better serve meeting planners and reduce the cost of sales.
  • Central to the company’s efforts is GroupSync Engage, the first direct booking solution for groups on the market, which launched in October 2020.
  • Direct booking has finally arrived
  • the future of booking meetings will be direct and online, especially for smaller, less complex events.
  • successful in creating technology that helps both sides of the marketplace.
  • Groups360’s technology development has been predicated on supplying hotels with better technology at a lower cost so they could pass on higher value to their planner customers and have better conversations with the meeting professionals they serve
  • dulvanesei on 07 Mar 21
     
    This article is about new disruptive innovating technology of hotels and event planner using virtual direct booking for small booking of rooms, and small event and meeting. This new disruptive innovating technology was the after affect of the pandemic. It's the industry way of growing and surviving into the world today, which is using more technology than ever before.
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How Technology Will Reshape the Hotel Industry Post-COVID-19 Pandemic | TravelPulse - 0 views

www.travelpulse.com/...ry-post-covid-19-pandemic.html pandemic
shared by jiayi017 on 04 Feb 21 - No Cached
  • hotel industry finds itself scrambling to inspire consumer confidence while also working hard to safeguard both guests and employees against COVID-19.
  • accelerated the infusion of new technologies and applications into hotel operations.
  • As we move into the ‘new normal’ and hotels reopen for business, the expectation for customer experience is higher than ever.” He foresees that moving forward, guests will expect enhanced tools like live-agent or AI-powered support channels, and personalized communications, not to mention heightened hygiene standards. “Hotels that cater to these consumers' needs will win brand loyalty as we embrace the new normal and for the long term,”
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  • Tech features that might have originally been intended for introduction as novelties or extra conveniences are suddenly becoming necessities in an era
  • Location data can also work to activate touchless check-in upon guests’ arrival on property or prompt them for payment when they present for checkout
  • Especially as people are increasingly opting for road-trips in the name of social distancing, hotels can benefit from installing geofences that send push notifications to visitors who might arrive within a certain radius
  • tactics for keeping people apart while continuing to conduct business (i.e., “touch-free” or “contactless” solutions) are the order of the day.
  • On-site capacity limits and real-time conditions can also be communicated to visitors when they’re nearing the venue to help avoid high customer densities
  • today's robotic hotel staff members can at least aid important efforts aimed at reducing person-to-person contact amid the pandemic.
  • alo328 on 04 Feb 21
     
    The article "How technology Will Reshape the Hotel Industry Post COVID 19 Pandemic" talks about how this industry is taking necessary measures in order to promote safety and security within their companies while implementing new technologies. It states that this pandemic has impulsed the implementation of new technologies into hotel operations. Contactless solutions, hotel check ins, mobile room keys, etc.. are just some of the examples hotels are taking in order to minimize contact and enhance customer experiences
  • jiayi017 on 13 Mar 21
     
    This article mainly describes how the hotel industry can use technology to help it recover after COVID-19, and how to enhance the confidence of employees and customers. With the development of the epidemic, the hotel industry and even the entire hospitality industry are widely promoting contactless technologies. Therefore, various mobile and self-service AI technologies are integrated with hotel operations. In the future, with the development of this normalization, reasonable monitoring technology, non-contact communication technology, location detection technology, super sterilization, and robotics technology will all become important aspects of the future development of the hotel industry.
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Choosing the right IT and cloud services provider post-Covid: A guide - Cloud Computing... - 1 views

cloudcomputing-news.net/...es-provider-post-covid-a-guide
shared by vanessavioli on 23 May 21 - No Cached
  • Now, as most economic indicators begin to trend positive, companies are once again ramping up their IT projects. Long term solutions are necessary at the scale required for sustained operations and cost effectiveness.
  • In this article, we look at three options – IT consulting firms, IT outsourcing companies, and cloud systems integrators
  • There’s also the reality that many of the larger consultancies really aren’t positioned to efficiently or cost effectively help organisations implement necessary IT strategies. Their areas of expertise lie in assurance services, taxation, management consulting, advisory, actuarial, corporate finance and legal services, to name a few.
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  • They may have the staff to take on something like a cloud migration or cloud-native application development project. But technology implementation is not a strategic part of their business, so they aren’t necessarily eager to take on these types of projects — particularly if they aren’t of a scale that would allow them to make a sizable profit.
  • They have to rely on proven, repeatable methodology to remain efficient — even if it’s at the expense of better project outcomes for their customers.
  • Companies that specialise in IT outsourcing aren’t faring much better than the big consultancies. While they may be more cost effective than a large professional services provider or consultancy, many potential clients are becoming hesitant about working with them.
  • That’s not to say there still isn’t a place for the large technology consulting firms or IT outsourcing companies. But for companies that want the flexibility, scalability and cost benefits that cloud services provide, working with a company specialising in cloud technologies – as a true, long-time strategic business partner, rather than just a point-in-time technical resource – may be the optimal solution.
  • A viable option may be to go with a mid-sized company that specialises in technology implementation — particularly in the areas of cloud migration and cloud-native app development.
  • Cloud systems integrators are able to be more innovative than larger companies that have no wiggle room for experimentation or exploring new methodologies.
  • These companies develop solutions that can meet current requirements and adapt as those new requirements emerge. For many, their work for a customer is just the beginning of a much longer partnership that will evolve to help that customer continually leverage cloud technologies to meet changing needs.
  • However, many of the cloud-centric companies have chosen to focus their efforts on specific platforms, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) or Microsoft, enabling them to gain familiarity with and expertise in the many tools and services those particular platforms offer. They can effectively leverage those resources to help their customers implement targeted, effective solutions.
  • Like the large technology consulting and professional services companies, the IT outsourcing companies also tend to rely on standard processes that can be repeated over and over to keep costs down. There’s no room for innovation.
  • Pandemic or not, hiring a big-name IT consulting firm often comes with an equally big price tag. Forgoing work with these higher-priced companies or simply cancelling projects reduces expenditures.
    • vanessavioli
      vanessavioli on 25 May 21
       
      Cost is something that is a very serious part of any technological consideration by management. Will that investment be worth it in the long run and pay for itself. Smaller businesses cannot afford a misstep.
  • Few, if any, industries escaped the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Even in the technology sector, where change is a normal part of business, many professional services and technology consulting firms struggled to cope with the disruption.
    • vanessavioli
      vanessavioli on 25 May 21
       
      COVID-19 was/is the ultimate disruptor. It affected every single industry, but affected the hospitality industry in the most profound ways.
  • Yet another potential downside: larger firms tend to be less agile than their smaller counterparts. While they sell innovation to their customers, they are often too big and cumbersome to embrace the new ways of working and thinking that they promote on the consulting side.
    • vanessavioli
      vanessavioli on 25 May 21
       
      It is interesting that it actually takes larger businesses to adapt to new technology, however once again it must come down to cost. Revamping a large company technologically is extremely costly and a very long complicated project.
  • jspie001 on 23 May 21
     
    This article provides insight on three various types of IT providers and there methodologies. It definitely emphasizes the benefits of specialized companies that focus on cloud computing as their IT service and business model and their ability to b=continually adapt to the changing environment and their desire to create long term relationships. It also talks about how larger IT companies are more focused on strategy rather than implementation of systems. It also talks about how the larger IT companies are much more focused on their own profit than providing services to the client and how cheaper off shore IT companies basically provide the same services at a lesser quality
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Why Personalization Is the Future of Hotel E-Commerce – Skift - 2 views

skift.com/...the-future-of-hotel-e-commerce
shared by dbonn009 on 08 Sep 18 - No Cached
  • he hotel industry has an opportunity to transform the direct booking process using website personalization. Doing so can help deliver a more efficient and customized booking experience, resulting in better conversion ratios and the opportunity to further cultivate relationships with guests.
  • Personalization in the hotel industry has ceased to be a trend. Today, it’s an obligation.
  • Back in 2015, American Express Travel reported that 83 percent of millennials would allow brands to track their habits in exchange for a more customized experience
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  • And earlier this year,
  • Deloitte Consulting published the white paper
  • noted that “–truly knowing your guests –what they have told you, what they request, what you have learned, and what should be implied –should yield larger results.”
  • using new technology-driven tools to help them streamline the booking process and create a more seamless guest experience.
  • When potential guests are shopping on a hotel’s website, there’s a clear opportunity before a booking is made for properties to demonstrate the acute attention they’ve paid to individual guests’ preferences. This is accomplished by using website personalization technology, allowing hotels to automatically and intuitively suggest particular room categories, package types, and even rates tailored to each user’s expectations.
  • he results of these improved personalization efforts are numerous, including higher booking probability, increased user satisfaction, and a greater likelihood of repeat visits to the website, leading to better brand loyalty. Taking these steps can even offer hotels a further tool to take more control of their distribution decisions, rebalancing their e-commerce strategies between direct and non-direct channels.
  • Building Loyalty is an Investment
  • over-relying on OTAs for cash customers hurts profitability.
  • Today’s personalization technology can also help hotels to optimize the conversion rates for direct bookings.
  • If this analysis shows that more users are bouncing from the site instead of booking, it may be time to consider new tools.
  • “When users leave a hotel’s website, they’re likely to have forgotten the details after visiting multiple other hotel-related sites,” he noted. As Upneja believes, personalization tools are one method to prevent this. “Appeal to them on the spot with personalized offerings like the right price, the right room category and the right amenities before they can move on.”
  • Personalization tech is increasingly an essential tool to rethink online bookings. But in order for it to succeed, there needs to be alignment between the personalization of the booking experience and the hotel’s curation of more traditional on-site amenities like service and design.
  • That site is available on both desktop and mobile, and in English and Spanish, the primary languages spoken by the hotel’s two main markets.
  • Using IP addresses also enables the Viceroy Los Cabos to personalize resort packages to users in locales suffering from bad weather.
  • “Ideally we want to sense that behavior and adapt the site for them, showing them customer reviews, social media posts, food and beverage photography – things that we know will be a strong call to action for the customer to continue through to making that reservation.”
  • Today’s hotelier recognizes the value that personalization has on the guest experience. The more guests feel that every aspect of their experience was tailored exactly for them, the greater the likelihood that they will spend more on property and return again and again.But in today’s competitive market, truly savvy hotel executives realize that it is no longer enough to only customize during the guest stay. Personalization needs to extend to the booking process, where the right tools give hotels the means to increase conversions, build better loyalty and customize content in order to deliver more direct bookings.
  • miamigol on 08 Sep 18
     
    On my previous article about Oraculo, the world's first predictive algorithm for hotels, I described how personalization in hospitality is no longer a trend but an obligation. By posting this new article I wanted to dig a little deeper into tailoring guests needs through e-commerce. In 2015, American Express Travel reported that 83% of millennials would not object to have their habits tracked if they get a more customized experience. This strong message has prompted the hotel industry to develop and implement website personalization technology that suggests, intuitively, specific room categories or packages to online lookers. Since building loyalty is an investment, improving the direct booking ratio is now the main goal of the industry. From experience, when I travel I try to stay at the same hotel and book directly from the hotel website. The most important thing to me when I shop around is furniture and bathroom. Although these are not generally specified in detail in room descriptions, the brand I'm loyal to is usually very consistent with my needs. If new technology would give me a more personalized stay somewhere else I would definitely change my membership. I have friends who don't travel much except for vacation and long weekends. They are lookers who go to online travel agencies (OTA's) and bounce from site to site trying to find the perfect place. The article explains this newer technology will be crucial to prevent lookers from bouncing to other websites, and encourage them to book directly from the hotel and avoid OTA's. The idea is to make it so personalized that it will be appealing on the spot. These new technologies not only can tailor room types and resort packages based on IP addresses, but it can customize your TV programming based on your web history. Personalizing the guest experience during the stay is no longer enough. Data shows that in order to build loyalty and make the customer return, personalization has to begin in the booking pr
  • kayshap96 on 16 Sep 18
     
    This article describes how personalization of eCommerce can bring better profits, because it is helping guests personalize how they would like their stay. This is more efficient for the guests because it is ensure they get what they want, like if they want to be around certain theme parks, or if they want their rooms a certain way. They even have options where you can fit guests language barriers, like if they speak only spanish they can change the language so spanish speakers can also ensure they have their preferred stay.
  • dbonn009 on 28 Jan 19
     
    This article explains the importance of website personalization. Here, vital information is stored for current and future use of consumers. It is important for industry professionals to have access to this information but protect it from reaching outside entities.
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Chinese travel companies show penchant for embracing cloud services - ChinaTravelNews - 0 views

www.chinatravelnews.com/...129304 Cloud China Software Hardware
shared by shanegmark on 21 Jan 21 - No Cached
  • Imagine today’s scenario where any established travel technology/ e-commerce company is required to process 3-4 billion travel itineraries on a daily basis! With the need to handle searches at faster speeds, it is imperative to diligently cache at the edge of the cloud. Managing the scale and being in control of the cost structure is vital, and cloud is an integral part of the solution.
  • While this is a common phenomenon with start-ups, legacy companies like airlines, banks etc. struggle with such transition from a traditional hosting environment.
  • The biggest challenge that any company faces when they put their business in cloud remains the issue of data security management, mentioned Wang. 
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  • Referring to security, Heinze mentioned that end-to-end encryption takes care of security of data in transit. “But data at rest (when data collects in one place, it is called data at rest) still demands a concerted effort to protect it.
  • shanegmark on 21 Jan 21
     
    Article discussing the challenges and benefits that Chinese hospitality companies are dealing with when implementing cloud solutions. There are a couple examples of this process from hotels and an airline.
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Video Conferencing Event Management Keeps You in Control - VC Daily - 0 views

www.videoconferencingdaily.com/...anagement-keeps-you-in-control hospitality software event management video conference
shared by smgarcia on 10 Oct 19 - No Cached
  • the job requires you to be onsite, in-person, and everywhere all the time. Dozens of stakeholders need your attention and few, if any, share a location.
  • That’s why video conferencing event management is for you.
  • you can give people their personal facetime and supervise their progress
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  • You can even inspect the site of your next sales event halfway across the country
  • You can’t be in two places at once, but with video conferencing event management you can be in six successive locations without leaving your office.
  • Your video conferencing salvation resides in the cloud–the same cloud computing you’re probably already using to access project and event management software
  • all your varied information is stored in one location and accessible from all your devices
  • in place of your CRM, provisional schedules, marketing collateral, and venue plans, is a single video conferencing portal you can use from your desktop, smartphone, or tablet.
  • this cloud-based meeting platform can be integrated into your everyday workflows.
  • With the right video vendor, you can move from a spreadsheet to email to internal video call to phone call and on to a client face-to-face sit-down with all the effort it takes to click between browser windows.
  • The goal is that every contact you make with both the internal and external elements of your working life become channels within the same workflow.
  • All the data you collect on a client, all the information you have about venue capacities, all the voice of the customer lessons you’ve ever learned are stored and analyzed here as well.
  • you can combine all your existing event management needs with a digital communications arm that lets you turn that knowledge into a flexible and persuasive way of keeping all your stakeholders happy.
  • Since you’re now traveling by video, the three back-to-back meetings you have with stakeholders across the city don’t involve leaving the office, which gives you time for a quick pre-meeting huddle room catch-up with your marketing team.
  • You can even remain at your desk to join the call, while your team in another part of the building meets together in the huddle room. Your notes from this meeting can be pinned to the project file for your upcoming external face-to-face, along with all the relevant data from your integrated event management app.
  • At all times, you can be adding notes to each respective file, sending chat messages to your team, taking photos and recording video, and presenting multimedia examples of some event planning do’s and don’ts.
  • You can’t be in two places at once, but with video conferencing event management, your entire working life can be based in the same platform.
  • smgarcia on 10 Oct 19
     
    Video conferencing is making event management that much easier. Not only does it make meeting to make final decisions and plans regarding an event more convenient, but video conferencing can also be used within an event for out of town participants. In a digital age, apps that can bundle all the facets of planning with meetings is a competitive edge.
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The Top Hotel Technology Trends the Industry's Talking about in 2018 - 1 views

businessblog.trivago.com/p-hotel-technology-trends-2018
shared by avila031 on 18 Oct 18 - No Cached
  • The hotel industry may be rooted in old-fashioned hospitality, but it’s also constantly breaking new ground with its technological innovations.
  • And as new technology emerges it gives flight to new guest expectations,
  • That reason is the wow effect it has on the viewer. It’s also the reason why hotels are starting to use drone photography to capture dazzling images of their hotels from dizzying new heights to captivate guests online.
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  • intuitive tools that make hotel marketing as easy and effective as possible while requiring as little time and effort as possible.
  • But the most urgent mobile-related hotel technology trend to adapt to would be a mobile-optimized booking funnel.
  • Hotel room renovations are no longer primarily about design
  • high-speed Internet to mobile keycard accessibility, smart beds, in-room tablets, and more Internet-of-things innovations.
  • With a virtual concierge, guests can do everything from making dinner reservations to requesting more pillows on a phone app or in-room device.
  • avila031 on 18 Oct 18
     
    This article explains how guests expectations are constantly changing and evolving because of technology and leading to wants for the hospitality industry to implement innovations. It also details some of the main up and coming trends and what each one aids in. For example, it mentions the trend of using drones for photography and explains that the images captivate potential customers and wows them. Interestingly it also discusses the trend of virtual concierges which can be seen as surprising being as this was such a person on person experience and the article reports that it is freeing up staff resources. It concludes with possible future trends.
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IT Investments: 5 Common Mistakes - 0 views

www.informationweek.com/...1316974 technology hospitality software investment
shared by anonymous on 22 Oct 19 - No Cached
  • As companies grow and their finances improve, smart management teams often look to invest in technologies that improve operations, worker productivity, and market knowledge.
  • If you haven't done a big IT project in a while, the benefits can be significant, but the risks are higher than many other types of investments.
  • People spend too much time building a detailed business case and associated financials that look great but have really bad assumptions.
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 22 Oct 19
       
      Bad financials and business cases: Everything need to be clear and understandable. Because such projects are expensive you can do a reality base-lining so you can be able to compare and contrast.
  • ...9 more annotations...
  • It can take a lot of time and effort for a user group that has operated on the same system for a long time to be more productive on new systems; this could hurt company performance while they get up to speed.
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 22 Oct 19
       
      Underestimating Impact of Change on Users Sometimes newer doesn't necessarily mean better, at times it is much beneficial to stick with what is familiar. It is mentioned here that when upgrading to something new it can actually hurt the company because users aren't accustomed to the newer system.
  • Taking shortcuts during the product selection process has been the death knell for many technology investments.
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 22 Oct 19
       
      Incomplete Selection Process It is important to go through with everything in depth step by step without haste so that no mistakes are made and one can be sure of everything.
  • IT projects are notorious for being over budget, so make sure you build in appropriate risk and contingency.
  • A new system -- while less expensive and more nimble upfront -- may impact productivity to the point that the savings are negated.
  • Sometimes even basic dependencies get missed, such as deploying an important new piece of software and finding it doesn't support the operating systems or web browser versions that most employees use.
    • anonymous
      anonymous on 22 Oct 19
       
      No Clear Understanding of Technology Integration It is essential that you know and clearly understand how new technology will interact and connect with the already existing systems that you may have. Will some will work perfectly with what you already have, others will not so it is important that you make note of this beforehand.
  • It's critical that you understand how the technology you're investing in interrelates with technology you already have.
  • What may seem modest at first may be very expensive three years from now
  • Open source software, for example, may tend to have a low upfront cost, but the labor needed to support the system over the long term could be hard to find or expensive in the future.
  • If your IT team is going to use an open source tool, you need to have short- and long-term alternatives mapped out if support isn't available or compatible down the road with other proprietary systems.
  • anonymous on 22 Oct 19
     
    The article addresses 5 common mistakes made when doing I.T. Investments and what to do to prevent these mistakes.
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Meeting the Threat in 2019: Cybersecurity for the Hospitality Sector | Modern Restauran... - 0 views

www.modernrestaurantmanagement.com/ity-for-the-hospitality-sector technology hospitality software hotel business safety threats 2019
shared by jorgeegutivav on 18 Feb 19 - No Cached
  • With a reputation as less well guarded than similar institutions, hospitality companies are a popular target for cyberattacks.
  • Experts warn other hackers, like those working for a nation-state, could exploit hospitality breaches like Marriott’s to acquire details on the travel and spending habits of espionage targets, like CEOs and diplomats.
  • permeable security in the hospitality sector threatens consumer privacy, shareholder value, and national security.
  • ...15 more annotations...
  • many hospitality companies are reconsidering their cybersecurity infrastructure. However, industry specific challenges like high employee turnover continue to expose the sector.[6]Additionally, even by adopting cutting-edge cybersecurity technologies, the important question of strategic implementation remains.
  • Are newly introduced technologies simply bolstering traditional methods of cybersecurity, or are they being used for methods of cybersecurity that are new and innovative, instead of simply faster or more efficient versions of the same product?
  • Traditional cybersecurity approaches are focused on reporting about intrusions after the fact, in what is known as an “incident response.”
  • Regardless of how they gain access, once an attacker is discovered, the forensics about the attack, including basic information known as Indicators of Compromise (IOCs) like IP addresses, domain names, or malware hashes, are shared across the cybersecurity community. These IOCs are then used broadly to thwart future attacks. 
  • The problems with this approach are twofold:
  • someone has to be a victim first so that IOCs can be derived and shared with others; additionally, blocking IOCs has a very short half-life.
  • All an adversary has to do is come from a new IP address or recompile their malware so that it has a new hash value (both of which are extremely trivial) and their attacks will sail through defenses that depend on IOCs.
  • As hackers repeatedly gain access to valuable systems and data using the same methods, cybersecurity teams continue to chase after them to secure compromised systems.
  • Very little cybersecurity effort is put towards addressing the methods used by adversaries; instead, security teams are locked in a pattern of waiting for inevitable attacks, trying to minimize the damage they cause, ensuring that remediation occurs as quickly as possible, and blocking only exactly identical attacks.
  • Incident response only helps prevent attacks that exactly replicate past ones.
  • a more proactive, sophisticated approach is needed. It will need to be designed to successfully recognize adversary methodology (and all the manners in which an adversary attempts to obfuscate their methodology) before attacks occur and at a meaningful scale.
  • Instead of seeking discrete, static IoCs based solely on what has already occurred, proactive cybersecurity analysts can instead use the intelligence they have derived about adversaries’ methodologies – commonly referred to as tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTP). 
  • From these TTPs, analysts can identify the general form and components of an adversary campaign. In addition, they can determine abstract indicators like how the adversary is attempting to hide his actions. 
  •  A proactive cybersecurity tool would be able to recognize possible adversary TTPs and indicators that describe a threat (or threatening behavior) in general terms. The system would then act on any traffic which met this pattern before it reaches inside a network, as the attack occurs, and do so in a way invisible to adversaries.
  • Using this basic model, a cybersecurity tool could truly prevent common exploits before they were executed, and could even predict and protect against future, not yet seen exploits.
  • kpony001 on 18 Feb 19
     
    In the wake of the Marriott International cyberattack, the article presents the issues with the current issues in the methodology of cybersecurity; first explaining the data of how popular they are in the hospitality industry, and what it means for the industry, before going into the process of how a cyberattack happens and the measures taken to prevent it. Traditional cybersecurity is one of an "incident response" which can only be implemented once a cyberattack occurs and can only prevent it temporarily as a hacker can do similar tasks with different IP addresses and new malware. In order to circumvent this failure of cybersecurity, the article offers a new method in which TTPs (tactics, techniques, and procedures), are used to identify certain components of a hacker and identify how they would carry out an attack, before acting on it before the attack would "reach the network".
  • jorgeegutivav on 01 Nov 19
     
    This article discusses one of the largest fears of most hospitality firms, and that is keeping their client's personal information private. Most large companies in this industry have become giant data centers for the personal information of millions of people. Breaches of this type of information place the lives of many people at stake. For example, Marriott International had a security breach of over half a billion of its clients which began in 2014 and was not detected until September of this year. Keeping an individual's information away from malignant forces is just plain business sense and any more attacks of this manner will severely hurt the reputation of the business experiencing it.
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A study of events organised by hospitality industries in Accra, Ghana - 0 views

www.ajhtl.com/...article_45_vol_6__2__2017.pdf
shared by naram003 on 10 Nov 19 - No Cached
  • naram003 on 10 Nov 19
     
    This paper used a random sanmplpe of 6 managers, 32 employees, and 38 clients of two hotel in Accra, Ghana. The goal of this paper to examine the role played by the hospitality industry in the organisation of events for clients. As most literature on even tourism is saturated with repeat data on the importance of mega events and their socioeconomic impact on destinations, this paper focuses more on the organisation of these events. For this location the study revealed that whilst religious and socialization activities dominated hotel events, only a small percentage of events organised covered corporate conferences, meetings, and workshops. Though clients have shown a mostly unanimous satisfaction with these meetings, managers feel that they have not received proper training in event planning and management. The managers have made an effort to voice their concerns, given the increase in the number of international tourists to Ghana, along with an increase in the number of hotels, restaurants, and other hospitality facilities. It has been observed that in developing countries, events pay a more significant role for individuals and the community. For final findings, it can be concluded that managers faced challenges such as ineffective communication and misunderstanding of expectations. Managers felt that they lacked certain basic expectations about events, and finally that the general pubic has certain expectations for these events that were at times not met. Hospitality facilities must be well-trained and be properly supervised during he course of these events
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5 sustainable design ideas to take your hotel into the future - Insights - 0 views

insights.ehotelier.com/...ake-your-hotel-into-the-future
shared by aguar024 on 20 Nov 19 - No Cached
  • Roof gardens
  • reduce energy use by absorbing heat and acting as insulators for buildings, which also, in turn, helps to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.”
  • Sustainable furniture, fixtures and accessories
  • ...11 more annotations...
  • carpet and bathroom tiles made from recyclable materials
  • using low or zero VOC paint in the walls
  • Using sustainable materials
  • Using LED lighting can not only help drive down energy costs but also reduce maintenance and cooling costs as well.
  • LED lighting fixtures
  • Water conservation solutions
  • otels can therefore benefit from utilizing water-efficient practices by upgrading equipment and improving operations.
  • Solar installation
  • 24/7 in the premises so a lot of energy is being consumed for power generation
  • It is not only cost-effective but also low maintenance, reliable and flexible.
  • Because sustainability is now a big factor in the success of a hotel, hotel operators must then take extra measures to delight their customers with their sustainable efforts.
  • aguar024 on 20 Nov 19
     
    And check out this 5 sustainable design ideas for hotels.
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5 Technology Trends Impacting the Hospitality Sector - 4 views

cbcommunity.comcast.com/...pacting-the-hospitality-sector
shared by msbode on 08 Jan 20 - No Cached
  • The hospitality sector has long recognized the value of technology as a catalyst to providing outstanding guest experiences and reducing operational inefficiencies. Technology is so important to the overall mission of many locations that, despite softening IT budgets in 2017, 52 percent of hotels planned to increase their IT investments while 47 percent planned to spend the same as the previous year
  • The type of technology a location spends its IT dollars on is becoming even more critical, as changing consumer attitudes and expectations continually raise the bar for excellent guest services.
  • Five technologies in particular—service automation, fixed mobile convergence, location-based services, connected meeting rooms, and chatbots and mobile apps—are poised to change the guest experience and create areas of opportunity for hospitality locations to become differentiators and innovators in an already technology-centric industry.
  • ...5 more annotations...
  • With service automation, both customer-facing and customer-centric activities are automated, freeing staff to provide more meaningful guest experiences or enabling locations to work at peak efficiency even with a reduced headcount.
  • One recent study noted 56 percent of millennials and 50 percent of Gen Xers prefer to use a loyalty app over a plastic loyalty card.[
  • In creating a guest experience that addresses the needs of “workcationers” and “bleisure travelers”, hotels and other hospitality sites must provide technologies that will help travelers get their work done in the most efficient and impactful way possible
  • Keeping guests happy from check-in to check-out—and anytime in between—is one of the main tenets of hospitality technology. Location-based services are a perfect example, and one technology that also serves to help the hotel, conference center and other hospitality locations increase their efficiency.
  • In embracing the next generation of technologies, hotels, conference centers and other hospitality locations first must prepare their networks to certify they are able to handle the increase in traffic and demand for bandwidth.
  • msbode on 08 Jan 20
     
    In this article the author shares how five trends in technology can improve guest experiences two-fold. One being the ease and convenience offered by technology software that range from easy check-ins, app loyalty programs, augmented reality, adaptive artificial intelligence in chat box just to name a few. Secondly, by having these technologies made available will increase interaction time between guest and staff, hence offering phenomenal guest experiences that can't be matched. Moreover, the author stresses while these trends would be great to implement, it is as equally important to ensure that the hardware such as the network are able to support them otherwise the hotel's efforts to improve services through technology would be futile.
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How Hotels Can Spring Clean Their Information Security Policies Ahead of the Summer Tra... - 8 views

hoteltechnologynews.com/...ad-of-the-summer-travel-season hotels information security technology hospitality
shared by tgood006 on 08 May 19 - No Cached
  • Shockingly, nearly a third of hotels (32%) admitted they currently have no known policy for storing and disposing of documents
  • tgood006 on 08 May 19
     
    Memorial Day weekend will soon be upon everyone and with summer officially kicks off. This article talks about how hotels can clean up and do better to protect their guest personal information. A few years ago, all major corporation were required to adopt General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) regulations which helped some hospitality companies. In my current capacity with Marriott International as a Workforce Administrator we were required to schedule all customer facing associates for training on GDPR. Prior to Marriott acquiring Starwood hotel company they had their own data hacking which caused an increased expense for Marriott to let customer know they were doing all they can to stop the data breach and protect their personal information. They also created a dedicated call center for this effort to let guest know that they will continue to put protecting their personal information as a high priority. This article outlines how hotels can prepare for increased guest traffic and protect their guest personal identical information. One of my responsibilities as a Workforce admin is to handle staffing for all of Marriott International Customer Engagement Centers. Employee training on GDPR is required every year for Marriott associates. Training employees on how to better protect guest personal information is more cost effective than dealing with a data breach due to negligence of an absent-minded employee. Guest expect to know their personal information is going to be protected. This allows them to have piece of mind. Leaving a clear and clean area allows for guest to feel that their information is being protected. Imagine walking up to the front desk and finding the previous guest personal information cluttered in view. This will make the current feel their personal information will left unattended and viewable to the guest to walk up causing nothing but anxiety attacks. Unable to enjoy their summer vacation. Guest expect that the overall security of the hotel
  • ...1 more comment...
  • jnoll001 on 08 May 19
     
    32% of companies not having a known policy is startling considering that 77% of Americans find it to be important to them. Yet another IT issue the states finds itself behind the curve on.
  • hchiebooth on 09 May 19
     
    Another point as for the "clean desk" policy goes, it also needs to include stricter policies on securing credit card information. It should not be written down or repeated on the telephone. In an open environment sound can carry and unwanted parties can hear. Cell phones should be stored away from the desk, because cell phones are in itself a potential security breach.
  • anonymous on 02 Jun 19
     
    Our hotel as well has reinforced the clean desk policy. I remembered the data breach for Marriott it was in most major news channel and at work for several months we had the same questions from our guest requesting more information. As you stated a hotline was created and of of course the most surprising for me was the acceptance from our guest. Main responses were, with the new technology advance world we've coming and going into that is something we all have to face.
6More

Expedia rolls out MICE tech tool to the US | PhocusWire - 0 views

www.phocuswire.com/Expedia-MICE-meeting-solution mice software hotel business
shared by yuqiongliang on 15 Jan 20 - No Cached
  • In an effort to streamline the booking process for hotels and meeting planners, Expedia is rolling out its automated MICE online booking engine in the United States.
  • Through the booking engine, meeting and event planners can search, price, configure and book spaces online, as well as manage other meeting elements such as AV equipment, catering and even group lodging.
  • with both the white label approach as well as a marketplace proposition.
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • first focused on primarily English-speaking areas
  • What we've found is that, while these English-speaking countries are different in how they price out their offerings - such as their inclusion of taxes - they're similar in how they address their audience,
  • yuqiongliang on 15 Jan 20
     
    This article is about a new tool that uses white label and market positioning for meeting planners looking for the right hotel organizer. Greatly simplified and shortened the consumption of small and medium activities in the planning.

Hotels and Resorts Ramp Up Sustainability Efforts - 1 views

started by alexsolano36 on 17 Jan 20 no follow-up yet
3More

Technology and trends in hotel energy management - Insights - 0 views

insights.ehotelier.com/...nds-in-hotel-energy-management technology trends hotel energy
shared by cwilliamsiona on 18 Jan 20 - No Cached
  • no one knows what the industry’s problems will be in five or ten years, it’s crucial to invest in a scalable system that upgrades itself to address the problems of the future.
  • Traditionally, it has been up to the guest to shut off their lights and turn their AC to the optimal temperature. With effective, modern technology, hotels – and guests – can supervise and implement eco-friendly efforts with little more than the tap of a tablet – incredibly easy for staff, perfectly unnoticeable for guests.
  • With the advent of the “Internet of Things” (IoT), hotels can leverage technology that tracks temperature, room occupancy and more from any web based device and adjust as needed in real time. This translates into a huge win for properties. Due to IoT, energy controls, like thermostats and sensors that have typically been commoditized are now interconnected with other systems and provide valuable data back to the hotelier.
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